After
Cyclone Winston hit the Pacific in February, UNICEF Pacific
representative Karen Allen said it was unprecedented to have two
category five cyclones occurring in the past year - with only 11
category five cyclones recorded south of the equator in the last 45
years.

Dr
Allen said the implications were immense and the way buildings were
constructed needed to be re-evaluated.

"We
need to consider everything, from the way we build homes, schools,
health facilities and other critical infrastructure such as water and
power supply, to the way that families prepare themselves, their
crops and their livelihoods."

A
family in the community of Nikinini - Josephine, with her children
Angelica, 12, Jacquie, nine, Jessica, one, and Bojel, eight - lost
everything in Cyclone Pam. Photo: SUPPLIED
/ Unicef

Pacific
countries needed to plan and prepare for all eventualities, including
the prospect of a direct hit by a category five cyclone, she said.

"People
are trying to figure that out, trying to understand the enormity of
the resources that will be required.

"It's
clear that the traditional coping mechanisms, and the traditional
places that people ran to during a storm, even those, are not
sufficient," Dr Allen said.

The
community of Taunono was completely destroyed when Cyclone Pam
struck. Photo: SUPPLIED / Unicef

A
young boy kicks a ball as his father searches through the ruins of
their family home in Port Vila after Cyclone Pam. Photo: DAVE
HUNT / POOL / AFP